Brandon Bass has always been a man of few words, preferring to let his game speak for him.

But last season, as one of the few veterans on the Boston Celtics roster, he had to become more of a leader both in his words and his actions.

Bass' growth was most evident in his play defensively, often drawing the toughest assignment in the frontcourt.

Entering his 10th NBA season, the 29-year-old veteran is hoping for a similar evolution offensively.

"Defense is mandatory for me every possession," Bass told CSNNE.com on Sunday. "I just want be that way offensively. I think that it's time to be able to play both ends of the court at a high level."

Last season, Bass appeared in all 82 games for the Celtics while starting a career-high 73 games. He averaged 11.1 points per game which was the third time in the past four seasons he was a double-digit scorer.

But there were far too many games when Bass was solid offensively but far from spectacular.

However, the potential for him to be a bigger impact player scoring the ball is evident, especially when you consider how efficient he was last season despite carrying a heavier load defensively.

Among players to appear in all 82 regular season games last season, only two - Detroit's Greg Monroe (18.16) and Chicago's Taj Gibson (16.09) - had a higher player efficiency rating than Bass' 15.01.

Known for his pick-and-pop game, Bass should benefit offensively from a healthy Rajon Rondo to start the season.